Govt urged to initiate talks with CNG Association

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the government to immediately initiate talks with CNG Association to solve their issues.

The protests and strikes had already pushed the country to the wall and its economy is facing multiple internal and external challenges, the LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh expressed these views while talking to Senior Vice Chairman All Pakistan CNG Association Capt. (Retd) Shuja Anwar, Chairman, Lahore Chapter of CNG Association Sami Udddin, Senior Vice Chairman Lahore Aleem Butt, and Khawaja Baber, General Secretary, Punjab during a visit to a protest camp.

The LCCI President said that the government decision to impose heavy taxes on the CNG would ruin an investment of Rs 500 billion made in the sector. He said that jacking up of the CNG prices would also dent government reputation in the eyes of the common man who is the real user of the cheaper fuel.

He said the LCCI understands that the government decision the make bulk increase in CNG prices is unjustified therefore it would continue to support the association for their just cause. He said that this unjustified decision would also affect both the local and the foreign investments in the country, as no new investor would dare make new investment when the government would try to implement such unilateral anti-business decisions.

The CNG Association office-bearers told the LCCI President that protests and demonstrations across the country against hike in CNG price and imposition of more CESS on CNG will continue. They said the association rejects any increase in the CESS tax on CNG in the budget, thus all CNG stations of Pakistan will remain closed for indefinite period.

"Strongly rejecting the time and again increase in CNG prices, they termed it a well-cooked conspiracy against the sole profitable industry of the country. People will not buy Rs 100 per Kilogram CNG, as they were already pressed by high gas and power prices in the country, they said. They added that the CNG association would condemn any government decision which might resort to bring increase in CNG prices and would resist it tooth and nail.

"An increase gas development surcharge up to 300 percent from the current 147 percent is also on cards that would result in further surge in CNG prices, they said. They alleged that at times there was artificial scarcity of natural gas created in the country and CNG industry was held responsible for the same by government, though the latter only consume 8 percent of the total natural gas production in the country.